ST. LOUIS, Mo. —William Klopfenstein, a long-time beekeeper in Edwardsville, Illinois, made his opinion known to readers of the St. Louis Dispatch newspaper on the controversy surrounding the alleged role of neonictinoid insecticides in honeybee deaths.

In his letter to the editor, which appeared in the newpaper’s final edition on June 3, Klopfenstein, a retired biochemistry teacher, referenced the U.S. EPA’s May 29 proposal to create temporary pesticide-free zones for honeybees and statements linking neonics to bee deaths, Klopfenstein wrote: “USDA and EPA both have determined that neonicotinoids are not the major cause of colony collapse disorder.”

He concludes his letter to the editor with the statement: “Now, before activists claim I am in the pocket of agri-business, I have never received a cent from them. I believe in protecting the environment. I just believe in doing it based on facts, not myths.”